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jscarpa14's review against another edition
4.0
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
I found this book to be excellent. It brings together a variety of writers with different takes and views on how to write things. Most of the writers are entertaining and make you want to keep reading as you learn more about their ways of doing things.
I only found fault with one chapter in the book, that by Milena Benini in which I felt she wrote in a condescending manner, contradicted other sources on her topic and included absolutely no source list for her chapter, basically informing the reader there was nothing in writing beyond her opinion. Fortunately her work was only used for one chapter of the book.
The rest of the book is highly entertaining and each chapter included a source list giving you the option to both double check facts included and have more sources available to you if you wanted to go further in depth with researching a topic.
What's great about the book is it's both a compendium on writing and a place to start for basic research on writing a fantasy novel set in medieval times. I especially liked the chapters on combat and the method of planning out fight scenes so that they're choreographed to seem more realistic.
I learned many things about weapons, food, fighting styles, religions and various other topics in reading this book. It includes multiple methods on character creation and goes extremely in depth into world building. I would definitely consider it a must read and were it not for that one chapter would have given the book 5 stars.
I found this book to be excellent. It brings together a variety of writers with different takes and views on how to write things. Most of the writers are entertaining and make you want to keep reading as you learn more about their ways of doing things.
I only found fault with one chapter in the book, that by Milena Benini in which I felt she wrote in a condescending manner, contradicted other sources on her topic and included absolutely no source list for her chapter, basically informing the reader there was nothing in writing beyond her opinion. Fortunately her work was only used for one chapter of the book.
The rest of the book is highly entertaining and each chapter included a source list giving you the option to both double check facts included and have more sources available to you if you wanted to go further in depth with researching a topic.
What's great about the book is it's both a compendium on writing and a place to start for basic research on writing a fantasy novel set in medieval times. I especially liked the chapters on combat and the method of planning out fight scenes so that they're choreographed to seem more realistic.
I learned many things about weapons, food, fighting styles, religions and various other topics in reading this book. It includes multiple methods on character creation and goes extremely in depth into world building. I would definitely consider it a must read and were it not for that one chapter would have given the book 5 stars.
abigcoffeedragon's review
4.0
This is a pretty good collection of tips and tricks for the modern day fantasy writer. This is multiple articles by a multitude of writers. While not every tool in here was placed into my tool box, the tools that I have are not the tools that you will have. It is well worth the read no matter the level of writer you are, or if you just have an interest in it.
erothoniel's review against another edition
3.0
So. It took me a long time to read this so called complete guide of fantasy writing, mainly due to taking huge breaks while reading something more entertaining.
Nothing really bad to say about this book, really. It covers all the basics, I guess. Has some tips and tricks, references all around internetz that may be outdated now, but still good start for one's research.
Some things I did know already, some seemed rather from Captain Obvious arsenal.
Some of the authors wrote in an annoying style, making somewhat silly jokes that didn't sound as intended. Some did some patronizing.
Overall though, it is a good start for anyone's research and first knowledge-gathering in the world of writing. Of course, I may still change my mind, as I do dive deeper myself, but it was not a complete waste.
Nothing really bad to say about this book, really. It covers all the basics, I guess. Has some tips and tricks, references all around internetz that may be outdated now, but still good start for one's research.
Some things I did know already, some seemed rather from Captain Obvious arsenal.
Some of the authors wrote in an annoying style, making somewhat silly jokes that didn't sound as intended. Some did some patronizing.
Overall though, it is a good start for anyone's research and first knowledge-gathering in the world of writing. Of course, I may still change my mind, as I do dive deeper myself, but it was not a complete waste.
serukis's review
4.0
This is a collection of essays on the art of writing fantasy, exploring topics such as character creation, world-building, writing fight sequences, and religion.
I found the essays in this book to be very helpful and it made me think a lot about my own creation and writing process, and also gave me some ideas on how to move forward. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on religion, as it made me think a lot more about how my world's religions are structures and the reasons why they are that way.
Published in 2002, there are a few bits and references that date it, but the advice is still relevant and useful today. If you are writing fantasy, this is a good collection of knowledge. It's the first in a three book series, and I definitely will be reading the other two.
Recommended.
I found the essays in this book to be very helpful and it made me think a lot about my own creation and writing process, and also gave me some ideas on how to move forward. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on religion, as it made me think a lot more about how my world's religions are structures and the reasons why they are that way.
Published in 2002, there are a few bits and references that date it, but the advice is still relevant and useful today. If you are writing fantasy, this is a good collection of knowledge. It's the first in a three book series, and I definitely will be reading the other two.
Recommended.
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